Everclad Law Group represents people hurt in slip-and-fall and premises-liability accidents across Nassau County, Long Island, and New York City — supermarkets, sidewalks, stairwells, snow and ice, apartment lobbies. Harvard and DA-trained attorneys with 10+ years recovering millions for the injured. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The call is free. The fee is contingent on winning.
A New York slip and fall claim is a premises liability action to recover compensation for injuries caused by a property owner’s failure to keep walking surfaces reasonably safe. Under New York common law, every landowner owes a duty of reasonable care to anyone lawfully on the property — customers, tenants, guests, visitors.
To win, three elements must be proved: (1) a dangerous condition existed (wet floor, ice patch, broken stair, missing handrail, sidewalk crack); (2) the owner had actual or constructive notice of the condition and a reasonable opportunity to fix it; and (3) the condition caused the injury. The statute of limitations is 3 years (CPLR §214); claims against any municipal entity (NYC, MTA, NYCHA, schools) require a Notice of Claim within 90 days under GML §50-e. NYC sidewalk cases against commercial owners turn on NYC Administrative Code §7-210. Snow and ice cases turn on the storm-in-progress doctrine. Everclad Law Group represents slip-and-fall clients across Nassau County, Long Island, and NYC on contingency, with no upfront cost.
Slip-and-fall cases live or die on notice. Insurers spend the first 48 hours building an “open and obvious” defense and a comparative-fault story. Here is how we approach the cases we see most.
Wet floors, leaking refrigerators, fallen produce, just-mopped aisles with no warning cone. These cases often turn on cleaning logs, “sweep sheets,” and surveillance footage — records that are typically retained for only 30 days — and on documenting how long the dangerous condition existed before the fall.
NYC Administrative Code §7-210 transfers liability for sidewalk falls from the City to the abutting commercial property owner. Identifying the right defendant — and excluding the wrong one — is half the case.
The “storm-in-progress” rule gives owners a reasonable window after a storm ends. NOAA weather records and timestamped photographs are what turn an excuse into a defendable timeline.
NYC Building Code §1011, ASTM F1637, and uniform-riser geometry decide most stair cases. A code-compliant handrail at code-compliant height is often the difference between a settlement and a denial.
Hallways, lobbies, elevators, parking lots. NYCHA cases require Notice of Claim within 90 days. Landlords cannot delegate the duty to maintain common areas to a managing agent.
Unsecured rugs, unmarked steps, defective doors, parking-lot wheel stops, escalators, dim lighting. The condition is “open and obvious” only if it was unreasonably dangerous after fair warning.
A partner of the firm leads every case, supported by the firm’s resources at each stage so nothing slips between calls.
A licensed New York attorney reviews your case, by phone, video, or at your home or hospital bed. Always confidential.
Personal injury cases often depend on evidence with short retention windows — scene photographs, dashcam, surveillance video, medical records, 911 audio, and timely No-Fault filings. Early review identifies what is available and what each case requires.
Each matter is prepared with the possibility of trial in mind — depositions, expert work, motion practice. Settlement leverage flows from preparation, not from posture.
Where a recovery is obtained, lien negotiation and medical accounting are part of the settlement process before any net distribution to the client.
Credentials, focus, and a boutique structure built so injured New Yorkers never face an insurance company alone. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Two partners lead every matter the firm takes on. You get direct access to the attorney guiding your case, with the team’s resources behind them.
Founding Partner
A courtroom-first lawyer trained at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, where he tried cases in front of New York juries. Yoni built Everclad around the principle that case value is driven by trial preparation, and that insurers calibrate offers to the credibility of that preparation.
Partner
Harvard Law School. Over a decade of complex litigation. Joe leads the firm’s complex-litigation work and builds case files prepared for trial from the outset.
A small sampling of the reviews that have made Everclad one of the highest-rated personal injury firms on Long Island.
Unbelievable experience! I thought the process would be draining but they handled it in the most efficient way possible!
I started my case with them and it has been the best decision I have made. I definitely recommend them. It is the best law firm. I am infinitely grateful for their hard work, dedication, responsibility, professionalism, and good assistance.
Amazing law firm! I highly recommend.
The questions we hear most often from people hurt by hazards in New York supermarkets, sidewalks, stairwells, and apartment buildings — answered by attorneys who answer them every day.
See all 45 FAQs →Six steps, in order:
(1) Photograph the hazard before anyone cleans it up — the spill, the ice patch, the broken stair, the missing handrail. Time-stamped phone photos are gold.
(2) Report the fall and ask the store or building for a written incident report. Get a copy.
(3) Get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses.
(4) Get medical attention even if you feel fine. Concussions and soft-tissue injuries surface hours or days later.
(5) Preserve the shoes and clothing you were wearing — do not wash or replace them.
(6) Do not give a recorded statement to the property owner’s insurer before talking to a personal injury attorney.
Under CPLR §214, the general statute of limitations for premises liability is 3 years from the date of the fall. Claims against a municipal entity (NYC, MTA, NYCHA, NY State, school district, public housing authority) require a Notice of Claim within 90 days under GML §50-e, followed by a one-year-and-90-day window to file suit. These deadlines are strict and cannot be extended once they pass.
Three elements: (1) a dangerous or defective condition existed on the property; (2) the owner had actual or constructive notice of the condition and a reasonable opportunity to fix it; and (3) the condition caused your injuries. “Constructive notice” means the hazard was visible and apparent and existed long enough that a reasonable owner should have discovered it. Mere proof of a fall is not enough — New York law requires proof of notice.
Under NYC Administrative Code §7-210, liability for sidewalk defects is shifted from the City of New York to the owner of the abutting property — unless the property is a one-, two-, or three-family residence that is owner-occupied and used exclusively for residential purposes. For commercial property, mixed-use buildings, and most multi-family apartment buildings, the abutting owner is responsible for keeping the sidewalk reasonably safe. Identifying the correct defendant is critical and often decides the case.
Under New York law, a property owner is not required to clear snow or ice while a storm is still in progress. The owner is entitled to a reasonable period of time after the storm ends to clear walking surfaces. To win a snow or ice case, you generally must show the storm ended hours before the fall, that the owner had a reasonable opportunity to clear it, or that the dangerous condition pre-existed the storm. Black-ice cases turn on whether the owner had notice of the specific patch.
You can still recover. New York follows pure comparative negligence under CPLR §1411. You may recover damages even if you were 99% at fault, with your award simply reduced by your percentage of fault. The property owner cannot escape liability merely by arguing the hazard was “open and obvious” if it was still unreasonably dangerous. Distraction or inattention reduces your damages — it does not bar recovery.
It depends on three factors: severity of injury (fracture, surgery, lasting impairment versus a bruise), whether the hazard and notice can be proved, and whether there is an identifiable insured owner. Slip and falls are among the hardest premises liability cases to win in New York because of the notice requirement — but injuries can be devastating. Broken hips, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal damage are common. A free consultation is the only way to know.
Not without consulting an attorney first. Adjusters are trained to ask leading questions — about your shoes, your phone, whether you saw the hazard — designed to lock in a comparative-fault narrative or an “open and obvious” defense. You are generally not legally required to provide a recorded statement. Let your lawyer handle communications with the store, the property owner, and any insurance company.
Walk-ins welcome by appointment. Home and hospital visits available throughout Nassau, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx.
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